Online Addiction Counselling · Oxford

Online Addiction Counselling in Oxford

Online addiction counselling for Oxford, by secure video. From a base in Hove I work with people across Oxford — from the city centre and Jericho to the streets around the dreaming spires — with the same BACP-registered, confidential support as an in-person session, and no journey.

Online across the UKSecure videoFree 15-min consultation
BACP registered member25+ years of experienceLived experience
Bradley Riddell, counsellor in Brighton & Hove, introducing his approach to therapy
ConfidentialA safe, private space
Person-centredThe therapy fits you

In and around Oxford

Addiction Counselling for Oxford, at a glance

Areas covered online
All of Oxford: from the city centre and Jericho to Cowley, Headington and Summertown
Known for
The dreaming spires, the Cherwell and the colleges
Region
London & South East (England)
Local NHS / support route
Local council drug & alcohol service (see below)
Format
Secure video, UK-wide. In-person also available on the Sussex coast.

Life in Oxford

Why people in Oxford reach out

Oxford carries an intensity all of its own. The academic calendar runs at a relentless pitch, and the expectation to perform, whether you are a student, an academic or working in one of the research and hospital institutions, can leave little space to admit you are struggling. Behind the postcard architecture, perfectionism and burnout are common companions.

Beneath a calm, historic surface, struggle can be hard to voice; a confidential online hour asks nothing of appearances.

Oxford is dominated by the University of Oxford and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (John Radcliffe Hospital), and the BMW Mini plant at Cowley is a major local employer.

The local picture

The local picture in Oxford

These figures are local context from official sources — not a description of you — but they show the scale of what people in and around Oxford are living with, and why local support matters.

Local data last reviewed June 2026. Each figure shows the year and links to the official source it was read on.

The addiction counselling itself

Addiction counselling here treats the pain beneath the habit, not just the symptom — alcohol, drugs, gambling, food or behavioural — so recovery is something you grow into rather than force.

The approach is the same wherever you live, so rather than repeat it on every page you can read it in full — the methods, what each session covers and fees — on the main addiction counselling page and on how I work.

How online sessions work

Sessions run over a secure, encrypted video link held to the same strict BACP confidentiality as meeting in person. After a free fifteen-minute call to check we are a good fit, you join each session from any private space using a phone, tablet or laptop — no software to install, no waiting room and no journey at either end.

Book a free 15-minute call

What I help with

How online addiction counselling in Oxford can help

Alcohol

For when drinking has stopped feeling like a choice.

Drugs and substances

Compassionate, confidential help with substance use.

Gambling

Breaking the cycle of compulsive gambling, guilt and debt.

Food and behavioural

Support for food and process addictions.

Affected by a loved one

Help for those living alongside someone's addiction.

The pain underneath

We treat the cause, not just the symptom.

Drug, alcohol & addiction support in Oxford

My online counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Oxford, free local drug and alcohol support is available through Oxfordshire County Council's alcohol and drug support.

For confidential information and advice, FRANK (on 0300 123 6600) and Drinkline on 0300 123 1110 are free, and Alcoholics Anonymous and SMART Recovery run peer-support meetings you can find online.

Other local and national support verified for this area includes:

If you need urgent help now

This is not a crisis service. If anyone is in immediate danger call 999. For urgent mental health support, call NHS 111 and choose the mental health option. The Samaritans are free, day or night, on 116 123, or text SHOUT to 85258.

Oxford questions

Online Addiction Counselling in Oxford: common questions

Can I get online addiction counselling if I live in Oxford?

Yes. I work with people right across Oxford, from the city centre and Jericho outwards, and anywhere else in London & South East, by secure video — no need to travel to Hove, and just as confidential as meeting in the room.

Do I have to be abstinent before we start?

No. We begin wherever you are. The work is about understanding the need the behaviour has been meeting, not passing a test first.

Can you help with gambling or behavioural addictions, not just substances?

Yes. The same approach applies to gambling, food and other compulsive behaviours, because we work with the underlying pattern rather than only the substance.

Is it really confidential if I'm worried about people finding out?

Completely. Sessions are private, online means no waiting room, and everything is held under the BACP Ethical Framework.

Online Addiction Counselling in Oxford, whenever you are ready

A free fifteen-minute call is the simplest place to start — no obligation, just a chance to see if we are the right fit.

Also available online across London & South East: Reading, Aylesbury, High Wycombe, London. See all of London & South East.

Other online support from Oxford: Substance Use, Drinking, Anxiety, Depression, Relationship, Trauma.